author
Boris Sidis
1867–1923
A pioneering psychologist and physician, he explored hypnosis, suggestion, and abnormal psychology at a time when those fields were still taking shape. He is also remembered as the father of child prodigy William James Sidis, though his own work ranged far beyond that family connection.
2 Audiobooks
Nervous ills, their cause and cure
by Boris Sidis
Philistine and genius
by Boris Sidis
About the author
Born in Berdychiv in the Russian Empire in 1867, Boris Sidis later emigrated to the United States, where he built a career as a psychologist, psychiatrist, physician, and writer. He became known for his early work on the subconscious, mental dissociation, and the psychology of suggestion, and wrote widely on psychopathology, education, and social questions.
Sidis helped found the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and was associated with the New York State Psychopathic Institute. His books, including The Psychology of Suggestion and Psychopathological Researches, reflect a restless, argumentative mind that was eager to challenge accepted ideas.
He died in 1923. Although he is often mentioned in connection with his son William James Sidis, Boris Sidis remains notable in his own right as an early and sometimes controversial voice in American psychology.